Process of treating brine.



GERHARD N I OOLAAS V IQOF'SCHWElZEBHALLE, s ITZERLA DQ P30 533 or SPEGIFICATIQN part of iiletters Ma eo, 698,341, datedApril 22,1992; n 1

Application filed February 16,

To ctZZ whmn it may 0071067774" l Be it known thatLGERHARD NICQLAAS- of the invention,-which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains' to make and use the same. r

The present invention relates to the treatment of brine and is an improvement upon the process described and claimed in my Letters Patent No. 675,686, dated June 4, 1901,

adapted to obtain chlhrid ofsodium free from gypsum and comprises a process which depends, essentially, on the employment of can bonate of ammonia for precipitating the sulfate of calcium (gypsum) contained in soluitonin the brine,whereby the ammonium sulfate formed remains in the, mother-liquor,

which is used again for pu rifying a fresh quantity of brine. Before treating with carbonate of am monia the brine is freed from its contents of other sulfates, magnesium salts, and calcium salts by adding sulfate of sodium and quicklime. In employin'githese' it must be remembered that if the brine contains in ad dition to gypsum also other sulfatessuch as sulfate of sodium, sulfate of potassium,&c. these exclude the presence of calcium compounds, such as chlorid, bromid, or iodid of calcium, and vice versa. Having regard to these conditions, brine can be purified in the following manner almost without cost, and in so doing by-product-s having commercial valuemay be obtained. It must in the first place be ascertained Whether the brine contains other sulfates'or calcium or magnesium compounds besides gypsum. Of these the easily-soluble calcium and magnesium salts (if they are not present as sulfates) are converted by adding an equivalent quantity of sulfate of sodium to form chlorid of sodium and sulfate of magnesium or calcium, (gypsum.) The latter precipitates, because all naturallyproduced brine is already saturated with gypsum. Then if the brine contains magnesium in the form of sulfate and halogen salts a quantity of slaked lime is added corresponding to the percentage of 1901. semi tic/r7513. niNospeoim ens.)

1s, doctor of philosophy and chemist, residingat' the town of Schweizerhalle, near theycity of Basle, Switzerland, have'invented a new and useful'Improvementin Processes of Treating I Brine; and I- do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description" magnesium foundfwherebysaidfmagnesium' v, "l f salts areconvertedintoinsoluble magnesium hydiOXld, which precipitates with formation t a 5151' V of calcium sulfate, (gypsum,) w hich also pre- I actions are caused tota'ke placeis 9f, sec n l ,aryjimportance. 'Z'lhey can'also take; place simultaneously. To the vbrine thus freed fromthe magnesium salts andthecalcium halogen salts, and being consequently, only saturated with gypsum, is now added a quani I I tity of carbonate-of ainmoniawhich corre spondswith the-percentage ofcalcium still contained'in the brine in-the -form of-g'ypsum, whereby allof said calcium is caused to precipitate as carbonate ofcalcium, while the ammonia remains in solution in the brine as ammonium sulfate. The brine is now .separated from the precipitate, as by filterper cent. of the original volume'is evaporated'and a corresponding amount of salt 1 6., chlorid of sodium-is precipitated. The salt is separated from the mother lye by means of a centrifugal apparatus and washed with water, the washings being added to the mother-l ye. All the ammonia sulfate formed in the brine from the ammonia carbonate is found in the mother-liquor, which,representing about fifteen per cent. of the original quantity of brine, is utilized for treating fresh brine, to which isadded as much slaked lime as corresponds to the percentage of magnesium salts, bicarbonate of calcium, salts of heavy metals, and freecarbonic acid present in the brine, plus an amount of lime corresponding to the percentage of ammonia sulfate contained in the mother-lye added. Of course it is also treated, as aforesaid, with the necessary quantity of sulfate of sodium, if there are halogen calcium salts in the brine besides gypsum or if such halogen salts are caused to form by the action of the lime. After stirring for severalhours the brine contains common salt, gypsum, and free ammonia, the latter in quantity corresponding to the amount of gypsum. The brine is filtered and mixed with carbonic acid (preferably purified furnace-gases) until a sample shows no deposit of carbonate of lime either on passing carbonic-acid gas through it or on boiling. The brine is then perfectly free mg, and evaporated until about eighty-five from gypsum and is evaporated after separation from the precipitate, the mother-lye being subsequently utilized again, as described above. In this manner it is possible by means of a single supply of ammonia and continual supplies of lime to purify unlimited quantities of brine from gypsum and magnesium salts. Of course instead of the original supply of carbonate of ammonia a11- other ammonia salt can be usedfor instance, ammonia sulfate (NH SO,--and this may be converted by means of slaked lime and carbonic acid into carbonate of ammonia, which then acts as described.

As an example of how carrying out the invention may serve the purification of the brine as operated in the saltern of Schweizerhalle, near Basle, Switzerland, two hundred and fifty cubic meters of brine are mixed with seven hundred and seventy-two kilograms of quicklime, one hundred and thirtyfive kilograms of which serve for the elimination of magnesium sulfate, bicarbonate of calcium, and free carbonic acid. and the remaining six hundred and thirty-seven kilograms for decomposing fifteen hundred kilograms of ammonium sulfate added together with said lime. After agitating for a few hours the charge is left to settle and the brine filtered, when purified, furnace-gases or carbonic-acid gas obtained from another source is passed into the brine, until a sample shows no deposit either on passing in more carbonic acid or on boiling. The brine is then filtered from the precipitated carbonate of lime, evaporated to about forty cubic meters, the crystallized sodium chlorid separated from the mother-lye, which contains per cubic meter about thirty-seven kilograms of ammonium sulfate resulted from the reac* tion between the ammonia carbonate and the gypsum of brine, and is used instead of ammonium sulfate for treatinga fresh quantity of brine in the manner described.

hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The process of treating brine to obtain crystallized sodium chlorid free from gypsum which consists in mixing the brine with slaked lime and ammonium sulfate, passing carbonic acid in the mixture, separating the liquor from the precipitate, evaporating the liquor, separating the crystallized sodium chlorid from the mother-lye containing ammonium sulfate and reusing this mother-lye in a subsequent purification to provide the brine with ammonium sulfate, substantially as and for the purpose stated.

2. The process of treating brine to obtain crystallized sodium chlorid free from gypsum which consists in mixing the brine with slaked lime, sodium sulfate and ammonium sulfate passing carbonic acid in the mixture, separating the liquor from the precipitate, evaporating the liquor, separating the crystallized sodium chlorid from the mother-lye containing ammonium sulfate, and reusing this mother-lye in a subsequent purification to provide the brine with ammonium sulfate substantially as and for the purpose stated.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GERHARD NICOLAAS VIS.

it-messes:

JOHN G. PLATNER, GEO. GI'FFORD. 

